Benefits of Installing a Tankless Water Heater in Your Home

If your hot water tank is over ten years old and running out of hot water more often than it used to, you may want to consider the advantages of installing a new electric or gas-fired tankless water heater in its place.

First of all, tankless water heaters are space savers. Often the size of a suitcase, these quiet, compact units are usually designed to hang on a wall, freeing up the area where the traditional 40-gallon holding tank once occupied space next to your Mississauga furnaces.

Secondly, tankless units can produce an unlimited supply of hot water. Once the faucet is turned on, a sensor operated heat exchanger heats water flowing through heating coils to the desired temperature based on the flow rate demanded, shutting down automatically when the faucet is turned off.

Energy savings are another major benefit to homeowners. In order to maintain water temperature, a standard tank heats water periodically accounting for up to twenty percent of your water heating costs, while a tankless unit operates on a need to use basis. In fact, it is estimated an ENERGY STAR qualified tankless water heater can reduce your home’s water heating expenses by thirty percent.

Start reaping all the benefits of a tankless water heater in your home by ensuring it is properly installed to meet all applicable codes by our qualified, licensed heating & air conditioning Mississauga company. With regular maintenance and no risk of rust or corrosion, tankless units are estimated to last twice as long as a normal hot water tank.

How Optimal Indoor Air Quality Affects Your Sleeping Patterns

As HVAC specialists in Mississauga, Brampton and Oakville we’ve long said that sleeping in a room with excellent air quality enhances the quality and depth of a good night’s sleep, but a recent study from Harvard confirms the link. Harvard’s School of Public Health’s recent study found that air pollution increases the risk of poor sleep patterns, and as such should be treated as a quality-of-life issue.

Poor air quality can increase the risk and severity of Sleep-Disordered Breathing disorders, including sleep apnea, and allergies due to airway and lung irritation from pollutants. The study from Harvard found that there was an increase in sleep apnea symptoms of 13%, from the increased pollutants during the summer months, an important air-quality fact given that 17% of adults have some form of SDB. The increase in allergy symptoms due to poor air quality and its airborne fungi and bacteria can also contribute to a poor night’s sleep. It is estimated that 1 out of 6 allergy sufferers do so because of the poor air quality inside of their offices and homes.

Having an HVAC specialist in Mississauga, Brampton and Oakville remove air pollutants from your indoor air will allow you and your family to breathe easier and sleep deeper—and is an overall good idea since indoor air is generally 2 to 5 times more polluted than outdoor, but can be up to 100 times more polluted.

How to Improve the Air Quality in your Home

There are a number of contributing factors to poor indoor air quality inside your home that can be easily remedied by the following:

·Using natural, plant-based cleaners (especially in bedrooms) in place of chemical-based cleansers with harsh irritants

·Regularly changing your heating and cooling units’ air filters

·Regular HVAC maintenance

·The installation of an air purifier

·If needed, the addition of a humidifier or dehumidifier

·Ensuring that your bedroom has adequate ventilation and air circulation

If you’re concerned about the air quality in your home, call us at Furnace King, your local HVAC specialists in Mississauga, Brampton and Oakville, and we can perform an air-quality assessment and make recommendations on ways you can enhance the quality of air in your home through proper air flow, air filtering and ventilation.

Prevent Basement Flooding With A Sump Pump

After the recent flooding in the Mississauga/Toronto area, many home owners are looking at options to protect their home from future flooding, and damage.

One of the best ways to prevent a flooded basement is by installing a sump pump in your home.

Sump pumps work by being installed in a pit in the lowest part of a building. They are placed in a basin, usually below your basement, that collects water through drains, or naturally through the soil. The pump then pumps the water from the pit to a safe location outside your home, preventing water from affecting your basement.

Severe storms often cause power failures, and since sump pumps operate on electricity, it is a very good idea to get a system installed that includes back up battey power. These systems are usually powered by a marine battery if your homes AC power source is knocked out.

Systems without backup power can also be upgraded to include a secondary power source to prevent flooding in homes that already have AC powered systems.

Furnace King Is Happy to partner with Renmark Plumbing And Heating to offer sump pump installation and service to all our customers.

Don’t put up with another wet basement again.

Call Renmark Plumbing & Heating Today at 905-755-1220 to discuss your Sump Pump, and flood proofing options.

Natural Ways to Improve the Air Quality of Your Home

Statistics reveal Canadians spend 90% of their time indoors. That means the more time we spend inside and the more airtight our homes become, the more exposed we are to indoor allergens and irritants. That’s why improving the air quality of your home is so important and doing so the natural way makes sense. Here are some tips from the experts at our heating & air conditioning Mississauga firm to help make your indoor environment healthier.

· Think Green. Decorate your home with indoor plants that effectively remove chemicals from the air and improve air quality. Use natural cleaning products which contain no volatile organic compounds (VOCs) or toxic chemicals that can be released into the air as gases causing problems for people who suffer from allergies, asthma, or other respiratory ailments.

· Use good judgment. Never smoke inside your home. Control pet dander by brushing pets outdoors and cover your mattress and pillows to protect against dust mites. Dust often and vacuum regularly.

· Improve air ventilation. Mississauga air conditioners can keep humidity down and reduce pollen and pollutants in the air. Make your A/C system even more effective by installing a disposable HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter to help purify the air in your home and change filters often.

Even something as simple as removing your shoes at the door can help to prevent dirt, dust and other particles from spreading throughout your home.

Furnaces, Air Conditioners, and Flooded Basements

Monday evening saw record breaking down pour in the GTA, and Furnace King would like to remind you of the danger water damage poses to your HVAC equipment.

If your basement has flooded at all, it is vital to have your furnace inspected to insure the water has not damaged the equipment. If you don’t have it inspected, you may find out your funace no longer usable when the weather cools back down, or worse, it may become a danger to your home.

Flooding outside of your home may have affected your Air conditioner as well, so refrain from turning it back on without having it properly inspected.

We can send a technician out to your home to inspect your equipment and determine if it has been damaged.

We are on the approved contractor list for a number of insurance companies, and are familiar with the claims approval process. If there is damage, we can generate a report and send it to your insurance company for you to expidite any necessary repairs, or replacements in your home.

Don’t get left out in the cold next winter, and don’t get stuck in the heat for the rest of this summer. Have your furnace and air conditioner inspected to make sure it is safe and operational as soon as you notice any water in your basement.

Call Furnace King today at 905-564-5464, or click here to have a member of our team get in touch with you.

How Can Smart Heating Systems Reduce Bills?

Investing in a high-efficiency furnace is a smart energy choice for homeowners. Not only can these furnaces provide superior indoor air quality and significant savings on your energy bill, but these energy efficient systems also avoid unnecessary damage to the environment.

Today’s high-efficiency furnaces have a AFUE rating between 90-97 per cent compared to an AFUE of 60 or lower for many older furnaces. While the efficiency of oil furnaces have improved, gas furnaces are considered the smarter choice. For example, 95% of the energy produced by a new gas furnace with an AFUE rating of 95 is converted into heating your home and only 5% becomes exhaust.

These units operate more quietly than standard furnaces to keep your home at a consistent temperature and help to reduce your greenhouse gas emissions. By some estimates, high-efficiency furnaces can cut your average heating bills by about 35 percent. The latest smart heating systems also include programmable thermostats which allow you automatically control the temperature so you can conserve energy and reduce costs while you sleep or when you’re not at home.

Converting your electric or oil furnace to gas is another option to improve the efficiency of your home heating system and save on heating costs. You may even be eligible for a government rebate when you switch from your existing furnace to a high-efficiency model. Look for friendly service from our & air conditioning Mississauga company that deals in EnergyStar qualified products and can help you with the rebate process.

What to do When your Air Conditioner is Leaking Refrigerant

If you’ve inspected your air-conditioning unit and found it has a leak, it is critical to know what to do when your air conditioner is leaking refrigerant. As HVAC specialists in Mississauga, Brampton and Oakville we know the damage it can causes, and all the causes—and fixes—of leaking refrigerant—and the most common offenders. If you suspect you have a leak you need to visually inspect the unit for the tell-tale fluid stains or use a leak detector.

Once you know that your air conditioner has a refrigerant leak you need to correct them immediately or they will allow air and moisture to penetrate your cooling system, waste expensive coolant and damage the ozone layer should they leak into the environment due to the CFCs that they emit. Even more importantly leaks can reduce the overall efficiency of your air conditioner, could freeze the evaporator coil and otherwise permanently damage the unit.

Running an air-conditioning system with leaks will increase your electric bill and increase repair bills down the road as the leak(s) continue to damage the unit. As HVAC specialists in Mississauga, Brampton and Oakville we have seen first-hand the permanent damaged caused when an air conditioner is leaking refrigerant.

What to Do When your Air Conditioner is Leaking Refrigerant
If you’ve discovered that your air conditioner is leaking fluid you will need to address the source—and remedy it like a mechanic fixes a faulty transmission. But first you need to find the cause of the leak:

  1. Manufacturer Defect
    If the refrigerant is leaking due to a manufacturer’s defect like a poor welding job, incorrectly aligned joint or lack of seal then it is the manufacturer’s responsibility to fix it under the warranty of the device. To fix it you simply need to find an authorized technician that can fix it for the manufacturer.

  2. Normal Wear and Tear
    Any machine with moving parts will naturally have wear and tear over the years. This includes things like rust- and acid-caused leaks in the tubing and joints and leaks caused from worn rubber seals. These are easily remedied by a professional with the necessary parts—but we don’t recommend over-the-counter products available at Home Depot-like stores as they often don’t properly seal the leak and can void the unit’s warranty.

So, what to do when your air conditioner is leaking refrigerant? Call us at Furnace King, your  HVAC specialists in Mississauga, Brampton and Oakville—we will fix the leak and assess any damage done by the leaked refrigerant.

How to Prepare Your Ventilation System for Spring

One of the best things that you can do to protect the investment you’ve made in your home is learn about seasonal maintenance and how that applies to the different appliances and equipment around the house.

Because the quality of the indoor air is so important, it’s critical to know how to prepare the ventilation system for spring. Remember this essential component brings in fresh air and helps to control moisture levels.

Start with the one of the foundations of the entire system by making sure furnace filters have been properly replaced according to manufacturer’s instructions or replaced as needed. Make sure the access panels are tightly closed and properly latched afterwards.

Remember that you’ll need to check over any exhaust fans like the one in the kitchen or bathroom as well. Most of the grills that you’ll need to remove are held in place by spring clips and keep in mind that you should never use water to clean fans.

Just before spring arrives is a good time to be sure the floor vents in your home are free and unobstructed. A drape or sofa blocking the air flow from one of these can decrease the ability of your furnace fan or air conditioner to do its job and cost you extra money.

Why Installing an HVAC System in Your Home Is a Beneficial Investment

The quality of the air we breathe in our homes has become one of the biggest priorities for the average Canadian family and that’s one of the biggest reasons why installing an HVAC system in your home is a beneficial investment.

As the warmer weather approaches, it’s important to know that not only have there been major innovations across the board when it comes to the right HVAC system over the last twenty years, but air conditioner advances have been at the forefront. The scroll compressor used in some of the more modern models is environmentally friendly using a chlorine free refrigerant to replace Freon.

Installing an HVAC system in your home is a beneficial investment for health conscious people as well. When a family adds whole home dehumidification as one of the features they pick, they are reducing the kind of moisture buildup that breeds mold and mildew.

Of course, the mainstay of all the appliances in the home is the furnace and any discussion of why installing an HVAC system in your home is a beneficial investment needs to look at the advances that have been made there.

For example, the modern benchmark for efficiency is the AFUE rating and many modern furnaces have a 95% or higher ranking. That means the home can be more efficient with less combustion and lower energy costs.

The Eco-Friendly Pros of Having a Tankless Water Heater

Besides the prestige of having a tankless water heater (which let’s face it are the coolest on the market) there are a number of eco-friendly pros of going tankless. As HVAC specialists in Mississauga, Brampton and Oakville we have personally seen the eco-friendly, earth-helping (and wallet-helping) differences that tankless water heaters make. This includes elements like saving water and saving on your electricity bills.

1. Energy Savings

The biggest eco-friendly pro of having a tankless water heater comes in the form of energy savings—something that is as good for the environment as it is for your wallet. We’re talking about a significant impact in energy savings given that hot-water tanks account for 20-30% of residential energy use.

The energy savings are significant with tankless as a standard water heater holds between 150 to 300 litres of water at any given time, which is heated to 50 degrees or more—24 hours a day. The water is heated so hot that cold water must be added to it, so you are heating water rather uselessly. On top of all this, about a quarter of the water in the tank isn’t usable hot water as it is lost as cold water is added to the tank. On top of even that heated water tanks, even insulated ones, radiate heat—which loses even more energy.

The energy savings from using a tankless water heater or a tank water heater averages between 24% to 34%, but can reach up to 50% for heavy hot-water users.

2. They Last Longer—Less Landfill Space

Disposing of water heaters is a significant problem in landfills. In North America over 8 million tank water heaters are disposed into landfills, a process which can cause dangerous chemical leaching into groundwater. Also, as you can imagine water heaters don’t decompose quickly. Tankless water heaters are smaller, take up less space in landfills, last significantly longer and have more replaceable parts.

3. Less Emissions

Energy efficiency causes less emissions. If North America switched to tankless water heaters we would save 1 billion litres of fuel, 620 million litres of propane—or 22 billion kw hours of energy, each and every year.

The eco-friendly pros of having a tankless water heater are numerous. There is the all-important energy savings, less toxic garbage and lower global-warming causing emissions. To find out the specific difference you can make by installing an eco-friendly tankless water heater—call us at Furnace King today, your HVAC specialists in Mississauga, Brampton and Oakville.